It’s About Thyme
by CHRIS WINSLOW
As the mercury rises and the gardeners of Hays County prepare for the upcoming mini-drought, I think the time is right for me, in my unofficial capacity as nurseryman/columnist, to nominate the amazing crape myrtle as the official 2010 Plant of the Summer.
They bloom for months, and they come in any size you could imagine. Once established they can hold up with our native tree species during the most prolonged droughts. Great color and water conservation rolled together into one great tree!
But let’s be more specific, and choose some monarchs:
I hereby nominate, as ‘King of the Crapes’… Muskogee. This stately specimen grows to a height of 25 to 30 feet, and blooms for 120 days. This is a record-setting bloom time!
Muskogee is a light-lavender with strong resistance to powdery mildew. Its fall leaf color is red and yellow and in winter its bark is grey and pinkish-brown.
As ‘Queen of the Crapes,’ I nominate Natchez. This white flowering beauty grows from 25 to 30 feet and has the second longest bloom period of 110 days.
Her fall leaf color is red-orange and her winter bark color is cream-cinnamon brown. Natchez is resistant to diseases and is considered the benchmark that all other varieties are compared to.
Besides this king and queen, there are dozens of other top performers to choose from.
For a dwarf tree, one of the best is Victor. This dark red variety grows to four to five feet and blooms for 85 days.
For mid-size trees, those growing from eigth to 12 feet there is Siren Red, Pink Velour, Catawba (purple), and Acoma (weeping white).
For trees between 15 and 20 feet there is Dynamite ( deep red), Red Rocket ( red), and Tuscarora ( coral red to dark pink).
And for truly shade size trees, 25 feet and up, along with Muskogee and Natchez – there’s Basham’s Party Pink.
The crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) has been in the south since they were first introduced from Asia in 1747. Since that time, hundreds of colors and heights have been bred.
In the mid 50s, the Japanese crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia faueri) arrived over here and an extensive breeding program began. Horticulturalists began to mix the color variations of the Asian crape myrtle with the disease resistance of the Japanese varieties.
The Japanese crapes also had trunk color attributes and greater cold tolerance. They could now be planted farther north.
As the official ‘2010 Plants of the Summer’ begin their amazing bloom cycle, we should all give thanks for the bright colors they bring to our landscapes during the harsh summer months.
Happy gardening everyone!
If you have a question for Chris, send it via email to iathyme@yahoo.com. Or mail a postcard to It’s About Thyme: 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748 www.itsaboutthyme.com.
